Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

Vietnamese cooking often calls for adding herbs and sauces to a dish at the end. More than just a garnish, these ingredients allow you to tailor the chicken noodle soup to your taste. Additional chili oil and fish sauce will, though, increase the fat and sodium.

Ingredients

4 cups water

1/2 cup sliced shallots

1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger

5 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)

1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 (15.75-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/4 pound uncooked rice sticks (rice-flour noodles) or vermicelli

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint

4 lime wedges

Chopped hot red or Thai chile (optional)

Fish sauce (optional)

Chili oil (optional)

Nutritional Information

Calories 346

Caloriesfromfat 18%

Fat 7.1g

Satfat 1.7g

Monofat 2.1g

Polyfat 1.7g

Protein 40.4g

Carbohydrate 29.1g

Fiber 1.1g

Cholesterol 141mg

Iron 2.6mg

Sodium 1279mg

Calcium 61mg

Calories 346

Caloriesfromfat 18%

Fat 7.1g

Satfat 1.7g

Monofat 2.1g

Polyfat 1.7g

Protein 40.4g

Carbohydrate 29.1g

Fiber 1.1g

Cholesterol 141mg

Iron 2.6mg

Sodium 1279mg

Calcium 61mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; cool slightly. Cut into bite-size pieces.

Step 2

Cook rice sticks in boiling water 5 minutes; drain.

Step 3

Divide chicken and noodles evenly among 4 large bowls. Ladle 2 cups soup into each bowl. Top each serving with 1/4 cup sprouts and 1 1/2 teaspoons each of onions, cilantro, basil, and mint. Serve with lime wedges; garnish with chopped chile, fish sauce, or chili oil, if desired.

lemilyb's Review

Just ok, unfortunately. I love pho and thought this would be great, but the flavors just didn't come together. If I redid this one I would saute the shallots, garlic, ginger, etc before adding the broth. The raw-ish pieces of ginger definitely did not work. Some hoisin sauce would have really helped, too.